Obama Administration Refreshes Its Push for a Major Infusion of Funds into the National Rail Program

[marmar]

from the Transport Politic blog:


The Administration Refreshes Its Push for a Major Infusion of Funds into the National Rail Program


It’s an annual spectacle. The President releases his budget. The budget proposes a huge expansion in spending on surface transportation, particularly in high-speed rail. Administration figures testify on Capitol Hill, hoping to raise the specter of infrastructure failure if nothing is done. The Congress responds lackadaisically, with Democrats arguing that something should be done and Republicans doing everything they can to prevent a cent more from being spent, and ultimately no one agrees to much of anything other than a repetition of the past year’s mediocre investments.

Will things be different this year?

The question is particularly relevant because the U.S. Government’s rail investment program — its authorization for allocating funds to the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) will expire this year. Legislation supporting the FRA, as well as Amtrak, the national passenger rail corporation, and improvements to freight rail, is necessary to ensure continuity of funding. Previous bills have authorized funding over five-year increments. In effect, the bills set out how much Congress expects to expend over the next few years, and allows the House and Senate to avoid debating the issue for years at a time.

The Obama Administration has responded to situation by proposing a massive infusion of funds for passenger rail and the creation of a “National High-Performance Rail System.” ..................(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.thetransportpolitic.com/2013/04/29/the-administration-refreshes-its-push-for-a-major-infusion-of-funds-into-the-national-rail-program/

[winter is coming]

1. Rail is definitely one of the areas where our infrastructure needs to be repaired and upgraded. n/t